3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.

≈ Comments Off on Buddhism and Christianity – An examination on religious premises

Buddhism is much older than any western religion and hence quite rich in cultural influences and the merging of existing religions throughout its history. Similar to Christianity, the preexisting religions at the time gave great influence to the various schools of Buddhism and have impregnated each branch with its own distinct character. Yet at the same time, all Buddhists hold to the basic tenets taught by Gautama Siddhartha Shakyamuni, the Buddha, such as the four noble truths, the three jewels, the Precepts, etc.Buddhism by traditional definition is not a religion. Neither is Christianity, as we will see. There is faith, but not necessarily belief. In pure Buddhism, there is no personal deity either. Buddhahood is in each one of us already. It simply needs to be awakened and as we practice we become gradually enlightened; again, not attaining it from somewhere, but coming to it in us. Especially in Zen Buddhism, there are no dogmas or institutionalized religion in the Western sense. I like to make the distinction between ‘faith’, which is basic trust seeking spiritual solace or refuge; and ‘belief’ in something that is of religious nature, i.e. something that cannot be proven and may or may not turn out to be true. For instance, all throughout history people or whole organizations (churches) taught and believed tenets that later on proved to be false, e.g. the Galileo incident, creationism disproved by evolution, etc. – Another example is the historic-critical method of bible interpretation, which is basically an admission that many if not most of the biblical narratives, long believed to be literal-historical, are merely allegorical under the backdrop of conveying religious truth. Thus, any reasonable, mainline theology nowadays no longer possibly could lay claim to scientific statements interpreted out of Christian scriptures, as were once done. This naturally evokes the dilemma of reconciliation between theology and science – a difficult topic of discussion indeed, as long as God is understood from a human projection. Once we open to a broader perspective to what is culturally termed as God, Allah, Yahweh and such, our faith will be easier to understand and thus become more reconciled between differing cultures and religious experiences.

Interestingly, the first Christians in the Roman empire were widely labeled as αθεοι (átheoi) – hence the term “atheist” – since they did not fit the common understanding, religious persuasion and state-held doctrine of how deity was to be defined, worshiped and taught. On these historical premises alone, Christianity itself could not be considered a religion and hence suffered rejection and persecution.

A quick look into Christian history will confirm that, although attempts have been made to bring back the ancient faith onto its mystic roots – which I trust to be core Christian identity – this aim stayed mostly hidden behind monastic walls. Much of which what is sold to us today as “Christian”, very few know, let alone find, solace and renewal in Christian mystics like Meister Eckhart, Theresa of Avila, Thomas Merton and many more.

Jesus Christ is seen by many Buddhists as a Bodhisattva, an enlightened being, who has refused nirvana (heaven), but instead returned to earth in order to liberate others. It is the ultimate fulfillment of the third jewel “I vow to live to the benefit of others”. For the true Christian, this Christ cannot be found in scriptures and ritual formulas alone. The savior must be found within each one of us.

If Christianity is ever to stand the test of our modern age, outside of ignorant fundamentalism, blind institutional obedience and positivistic apologetics, it must return to its mystic roots, which are closer to Buddhism than one may suspect on the surface, though culturally and theologically different.

Reality as it presents itself is found in the present, in the Christ alive in us – instead of merely a religion, a belief system.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper in Castelnuovo di Porto
2016-03-25 L’Osservatore Romano

Pope Francis celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening, 24 March, at a reception centre for people seeking asylum [the Centro di Accoglienza per Richiedenti Asilo, or CARA] in Castelnuovo di Porto. Located just a short distance from Rome, the centre provides temporary lodging and services for nearly 900 asylum seekers from various countries. The following is a translation of the homily the Pope gave in Italian.

“Actions speak louder than images and words. Acts…. There are, in this Word of God that we have read, two acts: Jesus who serves, who washes feed…. He, who was the “master”, washes the feet of others, his [disciples], of the least. An act. The second act: Judas who goes to Jesus’ enemies, to those who do not want peace with Jesus, in order to take the money for which he betrayed Him, 30 pieces of silver. Two acts. Today too, here, there are two acts: this one, all of us, together: Muslims, Hindus, Catholics, Copts, Evangelicals, but brothers and sisters, children of the same God, who want to live in peace, integrated. An act. Three days ago, an act of war, of destruction in a European city, by people who do not want to live in peace. But behind that act, as behind Judas, there were others. Behind Judas were those who paid money for Jesus to be delivered. Behind “that” act [in Brussels] are weapons producers and traffickers who want blood, not peace; who want war, not brotherhood.

Two parallel acts: on the one hand, Jesus washes the feet, while Judas sells Jesus for money; and on the other hand, you, we, everyone together, different religions, different cultures, but children of the same Father, brothers and sisters, while those unfortunate ones buy weapons to destroy brotherhood. Today, at this moment, as I perform the same act as Jesus by washing the feet of you twelve, we are all engaged in the act of brotherhood, and we are all saying: “We are divers, we are different, we have different cultures and religions, but we are brothers and sisters and we want to live in peace”. This is the act that I carry out with you. Each of us has a history on our shoulders, each of you has a history on your shoulders: so many crosses, so much pain, but also an open heart that wants brotherhood. Each one, in your own religious language, pray the Lord that this brotherhood infect the world, that there be no 30 pieces of silver to kill a brother, that there always be brotherhood and goodness. Let it be.”
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Following the Mass, the Holy Father said:

“I now greet you one by one, with all my heart. I thank you for this encounter. Let us just remember and show that is is beautiful to live together as brothers and sisters, with different cultures, religions and traditions: we are all brothers and sisters! And this is called peace and love. “

Easter is the religious observance that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead or was resurrected by God.

From a more in-depth perspective, the spiritual meaning of such things, like resurrection, does not rely on accurate historic accounts. It presents a mystical event that must have significance in our lives to be meaningful even after two millennia. Resurrection may occur when a person becomes one with Jesus; in other words, when Jesus truly comes alive (resurrected) in that person. Thus, when we celebrate Easter we do not focus on history, but rather on the continued living element of Jesus in the lives of his followers.

Spirituality stands beyond chronology. Though Jesus lived and died in the chronological context of time and space, his teachings and salvation are timeless, i.e. an eternal truth that always existed and always will. It is not to just to celebrate historical events with all its folkloric cheers, but foremost a call of their spiritual significance in our lives.

Thich Nhat Hanh, a prolific Zen teacher, once said: “Redemption and resurrection are neither words nor objects of belief. They are our daily practice. We practice in such a way … that Jesus Christ is born every moment of our daily life”. In his book “Living Buddha, Living Christ”, the same Thich Nhat Hanh relates that he came to have an appreciation of Jesus not by reading the Bible, but by meeting kind and wonderful Christians. Through these Christians he came to respect and admire the life and teachings of Jesus.

For us, eternal life means to transcend life and death, to stand beyond time – an immeasurable life. The Christ within us is immeasurable life. Through becoming one with Him I become life eternal, I transcend life and death.

Why attempt to transcend life and death? Why try to stand beyond time? Once we do so, our fear and apprehension of death will be gone. Our life is fulfilled, whether we live only to be a few years old or grow into old age. I can unite with the loved ones I have lost, whether it was recently or many years ago. We have peace of mind as we someday leave our loved ones behind when our time also has come. Why would anyone not want to transcend life and death?

The path and teachings of Jesus can lead to a higher consciousness and the experience of oneness (sacredness) in the unity of all creation;

The teachings of Jesus can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey.

A true Christian community (church) is inclusive of all people, including but not limited to: • Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics • Believers (of any spiritual path or religion) and agnostics • Total equality of women and men• Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities• Those of all classes and abilities;

The way we interact with one another and all creation is the fullest expression of our faith;

We find grace in search for understanding as we know there is more value in experience than in absolutes;

We strive for peace and justice among all people;

We strive to protect and restore the integrity of our planet; and

We commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion and selfless love.

Many people have rejected the church because of organizational politics, obsession with doctrines, general complacency and the failure to follow in the commandments and teachings of Jesus with anything other than lip service.

However, these same people have not rejected God or their faith, but rather they have rejected a Church for its corruption. In many cases, the people themselves have also been rejected by their church.

Jesus welcomed all people. His church would do well to follow that example in practice, rather than theoretically or with rhetoric that is not credible.